Eternal Sacred King Chapter 221to 227

 Chapter 221: Turning Tides

The speed of a four meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator on his flying sword was astonishing once he released his spirit energy.

The wind howled in his ears as the blood-robed youth rode his white bone staff, chasing after Su Zimo who was running away in the distance.

A few seconds later, the blood-robed youth realized to his shock that despite his terrifying speed, he could not catch up to Su Zimo who was sprinting on the ground!

Even if he used all his strength, it was useless.

At most, he could only ensure that Su Zimo could not shake him off.

“This guy’s physique is actually so strong that he possesses such burst power?”

The blood-robed youth’s evaluation of Su Zimo was already very high.

But now, he realized that he had still underestimated this person.

Right then, Yu Fei’s voice rang out. “That lad’s bloodline is extremely strong and he’s already at the legendary tsunami blood state. His physique and bloodline is not weaker than ancient remnant beasts. In fact, it’s even comparable to pure-blooded ferocious beasts!”

As a Golden Core spirit demon, Yu Fei’s gaze was naturally brilliant.

At that moment, he traveled through the skies with hands behind his back, following after the blood-robed youth with a relaxed expression.

“Yu Fei, take me along to chase after him!”

Seeing that he was unable to catch up to Su Zimo, the blood-robed youth was indignant as he said with a darkened expression and cold gaze.

“Alright.”

Yu Fei agreed to it casually.

In midair, Yu Fei’s body changed constantly; it was contorting, shrinking in some places twisted in others as his bones and tendons rang out with the sound of beans being fried.

In the blink of an eye, Yu Fei had transformed into a gigantic blood-eyed crow!

The blood-robed youth understood what it implied and with a single leap, hopped onto the blood crow that Yu Fei had transformed into.

Although he was carrying someone, Yu Fei’s speed increased rapidly and his body almost turned into a stream of light.

“So fast?”

Su Zimo turned back and was secretly alarmed.

The speed of a Golden Core spirit demon was way faster than he was!

Carrying the blood-robed youth, Yu Fei descended in front of Su Zimo before long, blocking his path forward!

With a spin, Yu Fei returned to his human form and followed behind the blood-robed youth indifferently.

“Fufufu, you can’t escape!”

Looking at Su Zimo who was speeding over with no intention of slowing down, the blood-robed youth scoffed coldly. He waved the white bone staff in his left hand and muttered a mysterious incantation.

After his incantation, five pitch black skulls flew out from the white bone staff, splitting in five different directions before striking at Su Zimo.

“Ah! Ah!”

Before they arrived, the five skulls let out blood-red rays of light from their sockets while crying sinisterly.

“Oh?”

Upon seeing that, Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat.

That technique seemed to have exceeded the limits of spirit arts. Those five skulls were even emitting a terrifyingly baneful aura!

How much blood and how many lives did it take for something so evil to be created?

Su Zimo collected himself quickly, his gaze icy and his expression unchanged.

The situation in front of him was clear – even if he were to retreat, it would be difficult to escape death.

If he chose to fight head on, he might have a chance of dragging someone down with him!

In the blink of an eye, the five skulls landed on Su Zimo’s body, chomping down with wide open mouths!

“Boom!”

With a loud bang, the sound of tsunami and thunder could be heard from Su Zimo’s body!

Blinding lightning shone from Su Zimo’s body in a terrifying manner!

The pitch black skulls were merely slightly blocked by the lightning, lessening the evil aura that they emitted. Suddenly, they broke through the lightning barrier and bit Su Zimo’s flesh!

How strong was Su Zimo’s body?

With Body Petrification, even a middle-grade flying sword would not be able to hurt him.

However, those five skulls managed to tear through Su Zimo’s skin the moment they bit down!

Sucking continuously, the skulls gulped down excitedly on Su Zimo’s blood essence as the red glow in their eyes intensified – it was as though they were gaining a life of their own!

“If you want to eat, I’ll let you have your fill!”

Right then, Su Zimo bellowed all of a sudden. No longer suppressing the demonic qi in his body, he released everything alongside his surging bloodline!

That was the power of blood qi!

It was even stronger than the power of blood alone!

At that moment, demonic qi swirled around Su Zimo as his bloodline rumbled, causing his body to expand. His eyes revealed an endless chill in them, looking massive as if an ancient demon with a fervent killing intent had possessed him.

Naturally, most cultivators could detect the appearance of demonic qi.

However, Su Zimo was far away from the battlefield at the moment – he was almost at the boundaries of Dongling Valley.

Given that distance, the cultivators that were stuck in the battlefield could not sense the demonic qi that was coming forth from Su Zimo.

Furthermore, they did have have the attention nor energy to do so.

As for the blood-robed youth opposite Su Zimo, he was shocked as his expression changed.

The difference between him and Su Zimo was too close!

At that distance, Su Zimo was practically an invincible god!

The skulls that were initially sucking Su Zimo’s blood were suddenly repelled by a terrifying power of blood qi.

The tides had turned entirely.

Initially, Su Zimo was disadvantaged and could have been turned into a blood slave at any time.

Now, they were in a completely different situation.

The blood-robed youth’s life was hanging on a thread!

Boom!

Su Zimo’s gaze was sharp as a knife. With a roar, he strode forth, causing the ground to tremble violently.

“Hand your life over!”

Su Zimo stretched his arms, grabbing at the blood-robed youth whose face was pale and was retreating endlessly. Su Zimo was trying to use a killing move of The Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness – Divine Steed Dismemberment!

If he managed to grab the blood-robed youth, the latter would not be able to escape a fate of being torn apart!

From Su Zimo’s point of view, as long as he could drag this blood-robed youth down with him before he died, he would have made a killing.

The blood-robed youth was close to being caught by Su Zimo when suddenly, a figure appeared behind him.

Golden Core spirit demon – Yu Fei!

He was equally surprised when he saw Su Zimo releasing demonic qi.

However, his reaction was extremely fast. Before Su Zimo could do anything, Yu Fei blocked in front of the blood-robed youth and saved the latter from the gates of hell.

Piak! Piak!

Sneering coldly, a hint of mockery flashed in Yu Fei’s eyes as he reached out and grabbed Su Zimo’s wrist.

At the same time, Yu Fei’s chest faintly emitted an even stronger aura that managed to suppress Su Zimo’s blood qi.

Inner Core!

That was his Inner Core!

With his wrists grabbed by Yu Fei, Su Zimo felt weak all over and his eyes dimmed.

“What a pity.”

He was so close.

If he had a single second more, the blood-robed youth would have died for sure!

Once Su Zimo released his power of blood qi, he was confident that he would be able to kill even a four meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

“Su Zimo, you’re very strong indeed.”

Yu Fei said coldly, “But with me here today, you won’t be able to hurt Young Master at all!”

This time, Blood Crow Palace’s Lord had specially instructed Yu Fei and Peng Fei to protect the Young Master.

If anything were to happen to him, the Palace Lord would kill the both of them for sure!

Chapter 222: The Only Variable

“Ah!”

Su Zimo howled at the skies with widened eyes. His black hair swayed without any wind as his blood qi burst forth.

Bang! Boom! Boom!

Su Zimo’s bloodline rumbled, causing thunder to roar and demonic to swirl around him. As his large tendons and bones trembled, his strength had already reached its limit!

Even so, Yu Fei, who was standing opposite Su Zimo, maintained his composure. He gripped Su Zimo’s wrists tightly without budging a single inch at all!

This was a complete suppression in terms of strength and cultivation realm!

There was no technique to speak of.

When the quality of a Golden Core was extremely high with pure spirit energy, it would be able to achieve a harmony with the heavens and earth, forming a phenomenon – that was how Golden Core phenomenons were born.

Because demons did not possess spirit energy, there would naturally be no Golden Core phenomenons as well.

However, the Inner Cores of demons were formed through the qi of the skin, flesh, tendons, bones, marrow and five organs. A combination of their entire body’s essence, that was the source of their power.

By condensing an Inner Core, the demon’s skin, flesh, bloodline, bones, marrow and organs would completely transform, causing their strength to increase exponentially!

That power was more than enough to completely crush any Foundation Establishment spirit demons!

Looking at Su Zimo who was struggling, Yu Fei raised his chin, as if he was looking at a lesser being, and curled his lips with a cold expression.

“Fufufufu!”

The blood-robed youth walked over slowly. He sneered as a mocking look flashed in his eyes.

To him, Su Zimo was like a rat that had fallen into the hands of a cat right now – no matter how he struggled, nothing would change.

“I told you, you won’t be able to escape today!”

Coming before Su Zimo, the blood-robed youth said sternly as his eyes lit up, “Turn into my blood slave obediently!”

The blood-robed youth waved his white bone staff and recited an abstruse incantation.

Within the voids, a strange power began to emanate.

The eyes of the blood-robed youth glowed with a sinister shade of faint green.

Su Zimo met with his gaze and instantly felt himself going dizzy.

“Not good!”

In that instant, Su Zimo lost his mind and felt as if he had fallen into an endless darkness. Sinking endlessly, he could not extricate himself.

An extremely evil power began to invade Su Zimo’s mind.

Su Zimo’s eyes faintly emitted a green glow.

“AHHHHHHH!”

He roared continuously from the depths of his heart and shouted at the top of his lungs. However, he could not break free from that mental control.

“No one can control me!”

Lowering his head, Su Zimo’s body trembled violently and the veins on his neck were exposed. His face’s blood vessels were visibly seen as he did not give up despite the enduring pain!

The blood-robed youth’s technique was an extremely powerful secret skill, Blood Slave Art.

Once a cultivator’s mind was corroded by Blood Slave Art, they could fall into a mental illusion which was extremely difficult to break out of through their own efforts.

Therefore, Blood Slave Art was something that must not be interrupted or disturbed by external forces while it was being executed.

The blood-robed youth felt that this was an extremely appropriate situation for him to deploy Blood Slave Art.

Su Zimo was restrained by Yu Fei and could not budge. The three of them were far away from the battlefield and no one could interrupt the execution process.

The blood-robed youth could almost envision Su Zimo kneeling before him with a reverent and pious expression as a blood slave.

However, be it the blood-robed youth or Yu Fei, they forgot something.

That was the only variable.

That variable did not merely affect the fates of Su Zimo, the blood-robed youth and Yu Fei... it affected the entire battle of Dongling Valley as well!

Perhaps, none of them would foresee that the effect of the variable would not merely end here.

After today, that effect would continue and eventually affect the entire Tianhuang Mainland, stirring huge waves within!

...

At the boundaries of Dongling Valley.

Su Zimo extended his arms, rooted on the ground. He trembled endlessly with a pained expression.

His arms were held down firmly by two large hands. Opposite him was the Golden Core spirit demon, Yu Fei.

Beside Yu Fei stood the blood-robed youth.

With his head lowered, Su Zimo’s black hair was let down.

Right then, Su Zimo felt a strange movement in his chest.

In that slightly opened robe of his, a little beast hid inside. It looked at the miserable Su Zimo and its round and pitch black eyes sparkled as if it was a vast galaxy, deep and mysterious.

Su Zimo was originally trapped in that mental illusion, surrounded by complete darkness.

All of a sudden!

An external force barged in, paving a path through that darkness.

The next moment, Su Zimo caught sight of a little beast.

It was like a little dog, looking at him with its head tilted as it blinked its pitch black and sparkling eyes.

“Night Spirit...”

Su Zimo muttered softly.

When he met with little beast’s gaze, Su Zimo was shocked and suddenly broke free from the mental illusion!

Night Spirit’s gaze seemed to possess a mysterious power that could purge away the evil from Su Zimo’s body!

Even though he managed to break out of the mental illusion, Su Zimo was sweating profusely and almost out of strength.

“Hurry and escape!”

Su Zimo’s lips trembled as he said with a hoarse voice.

Although Night Spirit had a mysterious background and managed to help him break free from the mental illusion, it was still too young.

It had been less than a month since it was born!

What could a month-old baby do?

Notwithstanding a human baby, even a month-old pure-blooded ferocious beast would have delicate skin and tender bones, pitifully weak at best.

Of course, even though Night Spirit was young, it was extremely intelligent and had already gained sentience.

Su Zimo knew that Night Spirit could understand his words and could read the situation as well.

His fate was already decided.

Now that he was in the hands of a Golden Core spirit demon, there was no way he could escape.

However, it was different for Night Spirit.

It looked like a weak puppy through and through.

Be it the blood-robed youth or Yu Fei, none of them would bother about it, giving it a great chance to escape alive!

Upon hearing Su Zimo’s words, Night Spirit’s expression was calm and it did not move.

It remained hidden in Su Zimo’s embrace without exposing itself, merely listening with its head tilted as though it was trying to pay attention to what was going on outside.

“Ugh!”

Almost at the same moment as when Su Zimo broke out of the mental illusion, a muffled groan came from the other side.

The blood-robed youth covered his head with both hands. He was in extreme pain as his deep green eyes were bloodshot while his facial features were contorted, looking extremely frightening.

If Blood Slave Art was interrupted by any normal external force, the impact on the caster wouldn’t be that great.

But this time, the blood-robed youth’s Blood Slave Art was reflected by a mysterious force!

The failure of the technique along with the backlash from the force struck the blood-robed youth like a thunderbolt. His head felt like it was splitting as he nearly fainted.

“Oh?”

Yu Fei frowned. He was still gripping Su Zimo’s arms tightly as he turned around to the blood-robed youth and asked in concern, “What’s wrong, young master?”

At that moment, Su Zimo’s chest moved!

A black shadow darted out, running on Su Zimo’s arm onto Yu Fei’s arm within a couple of steps.

Like a ghost, the black shadow was extremely fast and appeared at Yu Fei’s chest in the blink of an eye.

Pausing for a brief moment, the black shadow suddenly raised its paw.

Five extremely sharp claws poked out, flashing with a cold glint, swiping at Yu Fei’s throat with a bloodied smell of death!

Chapter 223: Three Rounds

At the same time.

The blood-robed youth endured the pain in his head and gritted his teeth. “Watch out, there’s something else on Su Zimo’s body!”

However, it was already too late when he said that.

The moment Night Spirit struck, Yu Fei felt something and turned around instinctively.

The next moment, his pupils constricted violently and his heart stopped beating!

“Poof!”

A flash of blood appeared as Yu Fei’s Adam’s apple was torn apart by Night Spirit alongside a huge chunk of flesh!

Fresh blood splattered all over Su Zimo’s body.

Night Spirit’s timing could be described as perfect!

The entire process was smooth and fluid like water.

In that brief moment, Night Spirit displayed a precise and keen sense of timing towards the situation – that was a capability that no one had imparted to him.

It was completely through instinct!

Killing instinct!

When he saw that, Su Zimo was stunned.

The blood-robed youth’s mind went blank and he was stunned as well.

That strike was way too ruthless!

Even if Yu Fei was a Golden Core spirit demon, there was no way he could survive given that serious injury.

Yu Fei’s eyes were widened and a black glow suddenly burst forth from his chest. With a backhand punch, he struck towards Night Spirit’s head!

It was the final gamble of a Golden Core spirit demon at the brink of death!

The entire process seemed very slow but in fact, it occurred in the split of a moment.

Yu Fei had already reacted extremely quickly.

Right after his throat was ripped by Night Spirit’s claws, he wanted to kill Night Spirit on the spot at the very first instant!

Since his large arteries were severed and he had suffered immense loss of blood and qi, Yu Fei had already realized that he would definitely die.

However, he wanted to kill Night Spirit right before he died!

Against Yu Fei’s incoming punch, Night Spirit leaped and turned its head, dodging to the side with all its might.

Bang!

Even so, Yu Fei’s punch struck Night Spirit on the waist heavily.

“Heeya!”

Night Spirit cried out in pain and there was a clear depression on its waist.

Like a kite with a snapped string, Night Spirit was sent flying into Su Zimo’s arms after that punch.

With its eyes closed, Night Spirit coughed out blood repeatedly and was already unconscious.

When he saw that, Su Zimo felt his heart ache.

Compared to the true strength of a Golden Core spirit demon, Night Spirit who was only a month old was truly much weaker.

This was akin to an infant that was a few years old wielding a dagger in his hand. Even though he had the power to kill an adult, he would never ever be a match for the adult.

In reality, if not for the fact that Yu Fei had been severely injured with his strength decreased drastically after the massive loss of qi and blood, that punch would have very likely blown Night Spirit’s body apart!

That punch seemed to have drained Yu Fei of all his vitality.

“Young... master, hurry... escape!”

Yu Fei’s face was pale and his throat was broken as he spat out words intermittently. Despite that, he was trying his best.

After those four words, he fell to the ground with a thud. His eyes were lifeless and the ground was swiftly stained red by his blood.

Placing Night Spirit back into his robes, Su Zimo looked at the blood-robed youth opposite him with a cold, murderous gaze!

At that moment, Su Zimo was not in a good state.

He had managed to break free from the mental illusion thanks to Night Spirit’s help.

However, he had taken a huge toll during this period of time and was both mentally and physically exhausted – it was akin to having gone through a battle with a top expert.

The blood-robed youth was not in the best state either.

The blood-robed youth was still suffering waves of pain from the disruption of Blood Slave Art along with the power backlash – he was clearly somewhat dazed.

Given their terrible conditions, if they were to truly fight, no one could tell who would be the eventual victor.

However, when he saw how Yu Fei died and recalled Yu Fei’s final words, the blood-robed youth already had the urge to retreat.

Furthermore, who was he?

As the young master of Blood Crow Palace, his status was immeasurably noble!

Why did he have to engage in a life and death bout with this Foundation Establishment Cultivator before him?

As long as he were to avoid this person for the time being, the latter would definitely die once the Golden Cores from the battlefield arrived.

At that thought, the blood-robed youth was decided.

Retreat!

Right then, Su Zimo’s gaze turned over, sharp as a knife as if wanting to tear him into pieces!

That gaze was completely unlike a human’s gaze.

It was more like an ancient ferocious beast that was extremely hungry – violent, brutal and bloody!

The blood-robed youth’s heart skipped a beat and his guts shrank, taking a half step back subconsciously.

“Bang!”

That single half step caused Su Zimo’s aura to increase massively.

Using the momentum, Su Zimo deployed the Plow Heaven Stride and charged forward. Churning his power of blood qi, he punched with his backhand like a massive seal that descended from the skies!

Su Zimo’s eyes were filled with endless coldness without the slightest hint of mercy.

Just moments ago, he was nearly controlled and turned into a blood slave by this blood-robed youth.

Night Spirit was severely injured and might even die.

Most of the sharpest Foundation Establishment disciples of Ethereal Peak had perished.

Two sect elders had perished as well.

Those blood debts had to be repaid by this blood-robed youth’s life!

“Save me!”

The blood-robed youth was appalled as he shrieked while pulling out a white bone shield from his storage bag.

Injecting spirit energy to it, the white bone shield expanded massively and the blood-robed youth tossed it out hurriedly to block above his head.

Having lost his courage, the blood-robed youth could no longer attack and could only defend.

In his opinion, as long as he could last ten rounds, there would definitely be Golden Core reinforcements from the Golden Core battlefield not far away. They would save him and kill Su Zimo at the same time!

...

On the Golden Core battlefield, the 10 Golden Cores with Peng Fei leading them surrounded and attacked Wen Xuan and Elder Yu, possessing complete control of the situation.

If not for Wen Xuan’s Golden Core phenomenon, both of them would have died a long time ago.

However, releasing a Golden Core phenomenon consumed a lot of spirit energy.

Wen Xuan could not hold on for much longer.

When he heard the cry for help, Peng Fei’s expression changed.

“Quickly, go and support the young master! Nothing must happen to him!”

Peng Fei pointed at two Golden Cores and shouted.

The two of them extricated themselves hurriedly and flew through the air, speeding towards the direction of the blood-robed youth.

Everything was happening just as the blood-robed youth expected.

Indeed, he would receive Golden Core reinforcements after his cry for help.

However, the blood-robed youth was wrong about one thing...

Bang!

Su Zimo’s fist landed on the white bone shield and let out a deafening bang.

Trembling violently, a series of cracks appeared on the bone shield as its light dimmed.

The white bone shield was shattered by a single punch of Su Zimo’s!

Psst!

Instantly, the blood-robed youth gasped and his expression changed.

Right after, Su Zimo’s figure flashed and he arrived in front of the blood-robed youth.

A cold light burst forth from within Su Zimo’s eyes as he reached out and grabbed the blood-robed youth’s arms, forcefully tearing them apart.

At the same time, he bent his knees and charged forth like a divine steed!

Divine Steed Dismemberment!

Shing!

A mist of blood filled the air.

“Ah!”

In the midst of a shrill scream from the blood-robed youth, Su Zimo had forcefully ripped his arms off!

Right after Divine Steed Dismemberment was Divine Steed Trampling!

Su Zimo kneed against the blood-robed youth’s chest, and with a leap, he used the momentum of the blow.

Both legs were at the blood-robed youth’s throat as Su Zimo trampled twice on his head. Without a single pause, Su Zimo’s body had already passed the blood-robed youth.

The two killing moves connected seamlessly and could only be described as perfect!

The moment Su Zimo landed on the ground, the blood-robed youth fell face first as well.

His chest was caved in and his throat was torn apart while his face was mangled beyond recognition – the blood-robed youth was thoroughly dead!

The blood-robed youth was wrong about one thing...

Su Zimo did not need ten rounds to kill him. He merely needed... three rounds!

Chapter 224: A Sliver of Life

Right as the blood-robed youth died, Black Crow Mountain, which was thousands of kilometers away, suddenly burst forth with an extremely terrifying aura as though the apocalypse had arrived.

Every living creature on Black Crow Mountain was scared out of their wits, sprawling on the ground motionlessly.

“Who!”

“Who is it!”

“How dare you kill my disciple!”

From the depths of Black Crow Mountain, a deep and sinister roar came from a huge palace that contained endless fury and killing intent.

“I’m going to tear you to pieces and turn your bones to ashes!”

Boom!

Accompanied by a deafening bang, the entire palace shook violently. The blood mist around it grew thicker and was almost materialized.

The entire palace seemed to be floating in a sea of blood, faintly discernible.

A figure rushed out from the palace and suddenly opened his mouth, sucking hard!

Splash!

The sea of blood surged, forming a huge vortex that gushed into the figure’s open mouth relentlessly.

In the blink of an eye, the sea of blood disappeared.

A middle-aged man stood in the air with his black hair draped over his shoulders. His face was thin and he wore a dark red robe while a sinister gaze shone from his faint green eyes.

“Caw, caw!”

Suddenly, an ear-piercing screech could be heard from Black Crow Mountain.

Initially, that sound was far away. However, it came close in the blink of an eye.

A gigantic crow with bloodshot eyes was flapping its wings, streaking across the skies of Black Crow Mountain and approaching.

That was the king among the many blood-eyed crows of Black Crow Mountain.

The Blood Crow King!

When the Blood Crow Palace’s Lord first arrived at Black Crow Mountain, this crow was the first creature he subdued.

It had gained quite a bit of benefits by following Blood Crow Palace’s Lord. By now, its cultivation was already equivalent to the peak of a Nascent Soul!

“Master!”

The Blood Crow King arrived at the skies above the palace and suddenly descended. When it landed on the ground, it transformed into a black-robed cultivator who knelt on the ground with a respectful expression.

“Come, follow me out there.”

The gaze of Blood Crow Palace’s Lord was ice cold as he said in a chilling voice, “I want to see who’s the one who dares lay a hand on my disciple! I’ll make him pay with his blood!”

...

Dongling Valley.

The blood-robed youth perished in a pool of blood.

The time it took for three rounds was merely a couple of seconds – it was too short.

The two Golden Core reinforcements were too far away to be able to arrive in time to save the blood-robed youth!

Upon seeing this scene, the two Golden Cores were dumbfounded.

Both of them seemed to have thought of something terrifying as the color drained from their faces. Looking terrible, their bodies shivered faintly.

The blood-robed youth was the only legacy disciple of Blood Crow Palace’s Lord.

They arrived at Dongling Valley while escorting the blood-robed youth. Now that the blood-robed youth had died tragically here, the Palace Lord might take it out on them in a fit of anger!

Their only chance of survival was on the green-robed cultivator not far away.

They had to capture this person alive and present him to the Palace Lord – that was their hope for survival!

Swash! Swash!

Their eyes turned bloodshot and their faces were filled with killing intent. Circulating the spirit energy in their dantian fervently, they charged in Su Zimo’s direction at top speed.

On the other side, Su Zimo had exhausted almost all of his stamina after killing the blood-robed youth in three moves and was now panting.

Be it in terms of combination, strength or timing, those three moves were executed to his limits.

He had managed to kill a four meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator in a one-on-one fight.

Even if Su Zimo was in peak condition, he may not have been able to produce that feat.

If not the fact that he was able to unleash a formidable power of blood qi given his lesser mastery of the Organs Refinement section as well as the blood-robed youth’s loss of courage resulting in a weakness in his aura, it would be hard to tell who would have been the victor.

After killing the blood-robed youth, Su Zimo turned around and looked at the two Golden Cores nearby with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

Swoosh!

Flicking his sleeves, a supreme-grade flying sword shot out.

Shing!

The first thing Su Zimo did was to cut open Yu Fei’s chest with the flying sword to retrieve the demon beast Inner Core within.

Right after, he sliced off the blood-robed youth’s head and took the latter’s storage bag.

“This person is dead and his head is with me. If you want it, come and take it! Hahahaha!”

Su Zimo held the blood-robed youth’s head in his hands as he threw his head back and laughed uproariously with a loud voice that rang in all directions.

Su Zimo’s current location was quite far away – he was almost at the boundaries of Dongling Valley.

Coupled with the fact that he had killed the blood-robed youth in three moves, that speed was so fast that no one else had noticed it other than the two Golden Cores that arrived.

However, his voice was reverberating through Dongling Valley endlessly right now and everyone could hear it clear and well.

The clash between both sides met with a momentary pause.

Be it the cultivators of Blood Crow Palace or disciples of Ethereal Peak, regardless of their cultivation realms, they glanced at Su Zimo’s direction subconsciously.

Following that, everyone’s expressions changed drastically!

The disciples of Ethereal Peak let out joyous looks.

However, the masses of Blood Crow Palace were pale as a sheet, looking ashen.

“Capture that person alive! Don’t let him escape!”

Peng Fei roared in anger.

There were now only eight Golden Cores of Blood Crow Palace that were surrounding Wen Xuan and Elder Yu.

The moment they heard Peng Fei’s roar, two more Golden Cores left the battlefield and sprinted in the direction of Su Zimo with lightning speed.

Poof! Poof! Poof!

The pressure on Wen Xuan decreased drastically. He took advantage of a Golden Core’s absent-minded state and shot forth with his phenomenon.

Many slender raindrops poured down on that person’s body, producing countless bloody holes on his body.

With a dimmed gaze, that person fell from midair.

Peng Fei grit his teeth. He had planned on capturing Su Zimo personally, but now, he had no choice but to stay here.

Swallowing a mouthful of elixirs, Peng Fei frantically circulated his spirit energy and activated the power of the storm, hoping to kill Wen Xuan and Elder Yu as soon as possible.

In the air, there were many blood-eyed crows that were surrounding the remaining forty odd disciples of Ethereal Peak initially. Now, all the blood-eyed crows swarmed in Su Zimo’s direction with bloodshot eyes.

More than half of the hundreds of Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Blood Crow Palace were diverted away as well.

As such, the pressure on the people of Ethereal Peak decreased immensely!

Everyone suddenly caught sight of a glimmer of hope – a sliver of life!

Due to the death of the blood-robed youth, the entire situation had taken on a slight, mysterious change.

The battlefield was in a mess.

No matter what, Qin Yu and Ji Chengtian were legacy disciples of Ethereal Peak. One at five meridian and the other at four meridian Foundation Establishment, they were extremely strong.

As long as they could make use of this situation to escape from Dongling Valley and send a message to the sect, everyone would have a chance of surviving!

On the other side, there were now four Golden Cores that were rushing at Su Zimo!

The blood-eyed crows in the skies were swarming over alongside more than half of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the ground.

That massive army was akin to a raging wave that was surging over!

In the face of the oncoming wave, Su Zimo appeared extremely minuscule and he was almost drowned by the dense crowd and the blood-eyed crows that covered the skies.

One could imagine his ending.

Chapter 225: Blood Escape

Qin Yu turned back and looked in Su Zimo’s direction with tightly gripped fists and a complicated gaze.

“Bro!”

Little fatty could not help but exclaim.

Leng Rou let out a reluctant expression.

Everyone of Ethereal Peak knew that this sliver of life was obtained singlehandedly by Su Zimo with his life on the line!

Right now, none of the Golden Cores bothered if they were dead or alive.

Even the Foundation Establishment Cultivators blocking their way were reduced by more than half.

Almost everyone’s attention was drawn by Su Zimo!

“Hurry, let’s go!”

Qin Yu clenched his teeth and waved his arm, shouting in a low voice.

If he were to be hesitant and indecisive at a moment like this, he would only cause everyone to die!

Joining forces, Qin Yu and Ji Chengtian walked at the front and released their spirit arts continuously.

With the help of the sect’s secret skills, their flying swords shuttled through the battlefield, splattering blood everywhere.

Even though the people of Ethereal Peak were covered in injuries, all of them endured their pains and gathered their spirits. They followed closely behind the two of them and charged their ways out of Dongling Valley.

...

On the other side.

Su Zimo was in a bad state.

When he used the Fiend Suppression Seal previously, almost all the spirit energy in his dantian was drained.

Thereafter, he was mentally and physically exhausted resisting the corrosion of the Blood Slave Art.

Finally, he burst forth at his peak and killed the blood-robed youth cleanly in three rounds, expending the last of his stamina.

Su Zimo was at his weakest right now!

Not far away, four Golden Cores sped over with a boiling killing intent followed by a dense swarm of blood-eyed crows and hundreds of Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Blood Crow Palace.

Dust and smoke billowed as murderous intent filled the skies.

Despite the circumstances, there was no sign of panic on Su Zimo’s face. His eyes were calm and his expression was composed.

He was channeling a secret skill!

There was a Blood Refinement Fiend Sutra etched on the lid of the coffin of the fiend sects’ inheritance ground.

Originating from the Blood Refinement Fiend Sutra, this secret skill was called Blood Escape.

The Blood Refinement Fiend Sutra detailed the use of bloodlines and described how one should activate the power of bloodlines.

Blood Escape was no exception.

Once released, Blood Escape would burn up a third of the body’s bloodline in exchange for a momentary speed burst, allowing one to escape hundreds of kilometers away!

Of course, there were extremely obvious side effects to Blood Escape as well.

By burning up a third of one’s bloodline, be it humans or demons, they would turn extremely weak. Their limbs would go cold and breathing would become significantly difficult. In fact, they might even faint.

How long a person would remain in that weakened state depended on their individual physiques.

The stronger one’s physique was, the faster they would recover to normal.

However, given ordinary circumstances, it would take at least 10 to 14 days of recuperation for a complete recovery.

With the onslaught of the massive army ahead, Su Zimo could only choose to turn and escape.

However, the direction behind him was in the opposite direction of Ethereal Peak.

If he were to Blood Escape hundreds of kilometers in that direction, the distance between Su Zimo and Ethereal Peak would only increase even further.

Left with no other choice, Su Zimo could only turn and escape!

Channeling the mental cultivation technique of Blood Escape, Su Zimo conjured hand seals and bit his tongue gently, causing a stream of essence blood to spray.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

His heart suddenly started to beat rapidly, as if it was about to leap out of his chest. It was as though someone was drumming from the heavens, giving off a dull and powerful sound.

Each time his heart beat, it would circulate a fresh stream of blood around his limbs.

On that stream of blood, a flame burned in secret. It was extremely strange and emitted endless power!

Su Zimo took a deep breath of air and activated Divine Steed Fleeting, dashing out of Dongling Valley.

Swash!

He turned into a sanguine flash of light and in almost the blink of an eye, disappeared from everyone’s sights.

It was too fast!

Everyone was stunned for a moment, looking lost and confused.

Several seconds later, the four Golden Cores were the first to realize what happened. They released all their strength and chased in the direction where Su Zimo vanished.

“A secret skill as such is definitely using his vitality in exchange for a momentary burst in strength. He won’t be able to last long. Chase after him!”

“That’s right. Using that secret skill will definitely weaken him extremely once he comes to a stop!”

The several Golden Cores in midair were sharp and quickly saw through the essence of Blood Escape.

One of the Golden Cores yelled, “Blood crow army, track that man down! After you find him, don’t alert him! Just stay on his trail and wait for our reinforcement!”

“Caw, caw!”

An ear-piercing screech broke out from the sea of blood-eyed crows in the skies, as if responding.

Soon, many blood-eyed crows delved into the voids and disappeared.

Even though the blood-eyed crows were only Foundation Establishment spirit demons, their speed of flying through the air was not inferior to Golden Cores.

...

Su Zimo ran with all his might.

Although he did not turn back, he could guess that the group of unknown cultivators would definitely not give up – they were definitely hot on his tail.

His blood was still burning.

Su Zimo had to ensure that he broke free of their pursuit before a third of his blood was burnt up!

Blood Escape could increase his speed by multiples in a short period of time.

However, it wasn’t an infinite increase and it was based on the cultivator’s foundation.

At the end of the day, Su Zimo was only a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

In other words, even after using Blood Escape, Su Zimo may not be much faster than Golden Cores in terms of speed.

Golden Cores were an entire cultivation realm above him!

Before long, Su Zimo arrived at a dense forest.

After sprinting for a while, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and with a flash, pounced onto a leopard nearby that could not dodge in time.

That leopard could only be considered as a wild beast that had just gained sentience.

Even though it bore some intellect in its eyes, it did not know how to cultivate yet.

Wrapping the head of the blood-robed youth around the tail of the leopard, Su Zimo threatened it, “The further you run, the better! Don’t take it off!”

The leopard could read the killing intent in Su Zimo’s eyes and it trembled in fear, nodding furiously.

The moment Su Zimo released his grip, the leopard left in fear. When it saw that it was far enough, it fled like the wind.

Su Zimo turned back and sneered coldly.

He had to do something to distract his pursuers.

Su Zimo believed that the leopard was enough to disturb his pursuers and send them into panic such that they could not track him down!

Taking a deep breath of air, he continued sprinting ahead.

After some time, the energy produced by Blood Escape was expended thoroughly.

This meant that Su Zimo’s bloodline had been burnt by a full one third!

The moment he came to a stop, Su Zimo felt the entire world spin and he almost fell to the ground.

He tried his best to compose his breathing, clutching his fists to maintain the clarity in his mind as he staggered forth.

He could not just sleep there.

He had not gotten out of danger just yet.

Su Zimo had to look for a relatively secluded place and set up some simple array formations before he could rest assured that he was concealed.

Before long, he found a cave at the foot of a mountain not far away.

Heading in, Su Zimo took a look inside and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that there were no demon beasts.

Given his current state, even if he encountered a spirit beast, he would probably have to engage in a tough battle.

Chapter 226: Nowhere to Run

Su Zimo fell to the ground, his bones and tendons feeling as though they were about to split. Enduring the pain, he took Night Spirit out of his robes carefully and hugged it in his embrace.

He was worried about Night Spirit.

Even though Yu Fei’s lifeblood was greatly drained because of that swipe to his throat, he was still a Golden Core spirit demon after all. That counterattack before his death was extremely terrifying!

Even if Su Zimo was the one in Night Spirit’s situation, he could not guarantee that he could survive.

However, Su Zimo was stunned when he took Night Spirit out.

Back in Dongling Valley, he saw with his own eyes how Night Spirit’s waist was caved in through Yu Fei’s punch. It clearly suffered serious injuries to its organs and was coughing out blood, as if it could die at any time.

But now, Night Spirit’s body had returned to normal.

Curled up in Su Zimo’s embrace, Night Spirit was no longer bleeding from its mouth, breathing slowly and steadily.

When it sensed Su Zimo’s gaze, Night Spirit suddenly raised its head and blinked its tiny eyes. Pitch black like gemstones, they looked at Su Zimo filled with life.

The man and beast looked at one another.

“Haha!”

When he saw that Night Spirit was fine, Su Zimo was delighted and could not help but laugh out loud.

“Heeya!”

As if sensing Su Zimo’s joy, Night Spirit opened its mouth slightly and cried in response.

Su Zimo carried Night Spirit up and examined it carefully.

He was shocked to discover that Night Spirit had an extremely strong self-regeneration ability!

Even though it was not fully recovered, the wounds on its internal organs were already beginning to heal and its broken bones were reconnected.

From their escape from Dongling Valley till now, Night Spirit had not consumed any elixirs and was completely reliant on its own body’s ability to repair and adjust.

It was less than a month since Night Spirit had been born...

Of course, the greater Night Spirit’s potential was, the more stringent the conditions were for it to grow!

If it was a ferocious beast cub, its parents would naturally be pure-blooded ferocious beasts as well. Extremely powerful, they could provide sufficient food and resources for the ferocious beast cubs.

However, Su Zimo was merely a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator right now and honestly could not provide much for Night Spirit.

He took out Yu Fei’s Inner Core from his storage bag and placed it under Night Spirit’s nose, wanting to feed it.

If not for Night Spirit’s assassination, Su Zimo would have been reduced to a blood slave of the blood-robed youth by now.

Therefore, he did not hesitate nor feel pained in the slightest bit feeding Night Spirit the Inner Core.

Twitching its nose slightly, Night Spirit sneezed and turned its head away, pouting its lips with disdain in its eyes...

“Burp... ”

When he saw that, Su Zimo was speechless.

That Inner Core could be considered the most precious thing he had.

He did not expect that Night Spirit would look down on it!

“You must be crazy, letting up on such a good thing.”

Having narrowly escaped death along with the fact that Night Spirit survived, Su Zimo was in a great mood and could not help but chide jokingly. He put away the Inner Core casually, prepared to consume it himself later.

“I’ll put you down first. Let me go set up some array formations and we’ll hide here for a couple of days.”

Su Zimo told Night Spirit.

Unexpectedly, Night Spirit arched its body and tried to burrow into Su Zimo’s embrace repeatedly, as if it was most comfortable there.

Unable to reject, Su Zimo stuffed it inside his robes again and came to the entrance of the cave to begin setting up array formations.

After burning a third of his blood, Su Zimo was extremely weak by now.

However, he did not dare to rest.

He had to make every second count and lay out a couple of array formations before he could set himself at ease.

Su Zimo had just drawn a couple of formation patterns when he came to a sudden stop. An extremely strange feeling surged in his heart... as if he had been targeted!

There was no danger or warning signs.

However, Su Zimo felt that something was amiss.

It seemed like there was a pair of eyes hidden somewhere staring at him!

He remained expressionless and continued to draw his formation patterns. However, most of his attention and gaze were constantly scanning the surroundings, trying to find the origin of that unpleasant feeling.

After a while, Su Zimo found nothing.

“Did I imagine it?”

His eyes flickered and he frowned in deep thought.

It would be best if he had imagined it. Otherwise...

Right then, Night Spirit popped its head out from Su Zimo’s chest.

“Heeya!”

Night Spirit called out.

Su Zimo was in deep thought and did not pay attention to Night Spirit’s cries.

“Heeya! Heeya!”

After a while, Night Spirit cried out two more times seeing that Su Zimo was ignoring him. It used its paws to scratch on Su Zimo’s chest gently but it did not extend its claws.

“What’s wrong?”

Coming to his senses, Su Zimo lowered his head and asked.

Night Spirit’s head was raised as it looked in the direction of the sky with an icy gaze. There was a tiny speck reflected in its pitch black pupils.

“Oh?”

Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat as he raised his head suddenly.

Up above in the skies, there was a black dot hidden within the clouds, faintly discernible.

Given that distance, if it was any normal Foundation Establishment Cultivator, their eyesight would not be enough to make out what that figure dancing in the skies was.

However, Su Zimo’s eyesight was extremely powerful and he recognized that the black dot was a blood-eyed crow!

Not only that, there were even more black dots gathering towards that area in the clouds!

With the blood-eyed crows giving directions, it won’t be long before a Golden Core finds his way there!

Suddenly, Su Zimo felt a chill run down his spine.

He had not managed to shake off his pursuers at all!

If he had not sensed that something was amiss and Night Spirit discovered the source of his feelings, he might have been surrounded and killed here without even knowing why!

Escape!

Su Zimo’s first reaction was to continue escaping

However, the world was so huge. Where could he escape to?

There were too many blood-eyed crows. In addition, they were fast and had a keen sense of smell – no matter where Su Zimo escaped, it was inevitable that he would be caught.

The blood-eyed crows were the eyes of his enemies and they were everywhere.

This meant that Su Zimo would always be under the enemy’s surveillance!

There was nowhere to run!

Furthermore, he was in an extremely bad condition. The blood that he had burnt earlier had not recovered and he no longer had any energy left.

What should he do?

Su Zimo closed his eyes and tried his best to compose himself, thinking hard of a way to break out of this situation.

He believed that there must be a way for him to escape from the surveillance of the blood-eyed crows!

After a while, Su Zimo suddenly opened his eyes – he had an idea.

He took out the demon beast Inner Core from his storage bag and swallowed it whole.

Su Zimo was prepared to use Blood Escape once more!

Making use of Blood Escape two times in a row meant that he would have to burn up two thirds of his blood and there was a high chance he could die.

However, he had no other choice.

He could only consume the Inner Core in advance to prevent and mishaps.

Right now, Su Zimo was at his weakest. If he did not make use of Blood Escape, he would not be able to escape far and would definitely be caught by the Golden Cores behind.

Taking out a map from his storage bag, Su Zimo took a good look at it.

Soon, he put away the map and channeled Blood Escape. His body turned into a sanguine light as he made a slight change of direction and dashed for it!Chapter 227: Jishui River

This time, Su Zimo was no longer running aimlessly.

There was only one place to escape from the blood-eyed crows’ surveillance.

Jishui River!

Blood-eyed crows were Foundation Establishment spirit demons after all. They did not have Inner Cores and could not internalize their breathings. As such, they naturally could not dive into Jishui River.

Su Zimo was different.

He had both immortality and demonic cultivations. Although he did not have an Inner Core, he could use his spirit energy to form a protective barrier and repel water.

The map indicated that Jishui River ran through the entire territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

No one knew where Jishui River began and ended – the map did not indicate it as well.

However, that was not important. What Su Zimo had to do was to dive into Jishui River and drift with the flow – that was how he could escape the tracking of the blood-eyed crows entirely.

Su Zimo sprinted the entire way, running through the night. The next morning, he finally arrived at the riverbed of Jishui River.

The moment he arrived, Su Zimo’s expression was pale and his consciousness was gradually blurring.

If he had not consumed that demon beast Inner Core, he would have been a dead man by now making use of Blood Escape twice.

No matter how strong one’s physique was, they would not be able to withstand burning two thirds of their blood essence!

This time, he was almost completely exhausted.

Su Zimo staggered and lost control of his body and balance, falling forward head first into the river.

“Broop, broop, broop!”

A series of bubbles appeared on the water surface.

Stirred awake by the waters, Su Zimo shook his head and struggled to stand up – his mind was slightly cleared up.

Night Spirit tunneled out of Su Zimo’s robes and after swimming a little in the river, it actually began to float!

From the looks of it, Night Spirit was pretty adaptable to water as well!

Su Zimo grit his teeth and carried Night Spirit, conjuring a barrier of spirit energy with great effort. Finally, he leaped and disappeared completely into Jishui River.

The river was cold.

For someone who had burned most of his bloodline, that level of coldness was already seeping into his bones!

Su Zimo trembled from head to toe, hugging Night Spirit tightly with widened eyes as he dived down.

He gathered his spirit and did not dare to be careless, wielding the supreme-grade flying sword in his left hand while surveying his surroundings constantly.

Jishui River was not a friendly place.

The danger inside was definitely not less than the forests in the vast wilderness!

There were many powerful demon beasts lurking within Jishui River as well.

If he was not careful, he might die here!

Su Zimo did not dare to dive too deep.

Typically, stronger demon beasts would lurk in the deeper waters.

Right now, Su Zimo was surrounded mostly by Qi Condensation spirit demons that had just learned how to cultivate. The many aquatic demon beasts were truly dazzling to look at.

All of those spirit beasts merely looked from afar and none of them dared to approach casually.

All of a sudden!

As though they were frightened by something, the spirit beasts scattered at an extremely fast speed!

At the same time, a danger rang in Su Zimo’s mind.

The river surged in a slanted manner as a huge water column flowed in the opposite direction, filled with a ferocious killing intent and formidable aura!

It was a spirit demon!

A Foundation Establishment spirit demon had appeared!

Zeng! Zeng! Zeng!

Su Zimo endured the pain in his dantian and forcefully injected spirit energy.

His sword trembled continuously.

The reason why Su Zimo activated the flying sword right away was because he wanted to fight against that spirit demon. However, he suddenly put away the flying sword on second thought.

Whoosh!

The spirit beast emerged from the water and Su Zimo could finally take a good look at it.

Green Armored Crocodile!

The Green Armored Crocodile was one of the most common demon beasts in Jishui River. It earned its name thanks to the massively indestructible armor that lined its entire body and its massive size.

Moving extremely fast in the waters, the Green Armored Crocodile appeared before Su Zimo almost in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, Su Zimo felt like he was facing a mountain instead of an aquatic demon beast.

Swoosh!

The moment it arrived before Su Zimo, the Green Armored Crocodile opened its massive mouth without a second thought and devoured Su Zimo as a whole with ease alongside the river water.

Su Zimo stood inside the Green Armored Crocodile’s mouth. Even though he seemed incomparably small, he was extremely calm.

Just as the lower jaw of the Green Armored Crocodile was about to close, Su Zimo drew out his supreme-grade flying sword again and activated the four spirit patterns on it. He said with a cold voice, “You better not move!”

At that moment, Night Spirit extended its claws and tapped its paws gently on the tongue of the Green Armored Crocodile.

It did not use much strength but the Green Armored Crocodile’s tongue was already bleeding.

“Listen to me now!”

Standing in the Green Armored Crocodile’s mouth, Su Zimo said slowly, “Swim down along with Jishui River. I’m going to borrow your stomach for the time being.”

“Once my body recovers, I’ll leave. Besides, I promise I won’t harm your life!”

The Green Armored Crocodile had already cultivated to a spirit demon level and had gained sentience.

Su Zimo believed that it would definitely understand his words.

Indeed, after a momentary hesitation, the Green Armored Crocodile nodded its head.

That was a good choice.

It could either believe in Su Zimo...

Or it could die right away!

Hugging Night Spirit, Su Zimo slid down the Green Armored Crocodile’s throat into its stomach.

At the same time, he crushed the protective talisman given to him by Leng Rou.

A barrier of light surrounded Su Zimo.

Even though it was slightly smelly in the Green Armored Crocodile’s stomach, it was a place undisturbed by anyone – it was the perfect hiding ground for him to calm down and recuperate in peace!

If Su Zimo were to hug Night Spirit and continue flowing down Jishui River, he would have no time to recuperate.

This arrangement was killing two birds with one stone.

Su Zimo intended to stay in the Green Armored Crocodile’s stomach for the time being. After he and Night Spirit’s injuries were healed, he would leave and return to shore.

Shaking its head and tail, the Green Armored Crocodile disappeared from where it was, swimming down the river.

...

Three days later.

A large number of blood-eyed crows circled above Jishui River, densely packed and covering the skies.

Peng Fei and the other cultivators who had participated in the Dongling Valley battle stood by the shore. They looked at the surging river with a terrible expression, remaining silent.

Before they set off, they had ten Golden Cores.

Now, they were only left with six.

Peng Fei’s face was slightly pale. He seemed to be seriously injured and had rushed over before he could recover.

The number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators had decreased by half as well.

“Caw... caw!”

Before long, an ear-piercing screech could be heard from the distant horizon.

All the blood-eyed crows paused for a moment and split into two sides in the skies, as though they were welcoming a powerful existence!

Before long, a gigantic, pitch black Blood Crow King sped over.

On its back was a middle-aged man dressed in blood colored robes. Hands behind his back, his face was thin and his eyes were gloomy.

“Greetings, Palace Lord!”

The masses of Blood Crow Palace knelt on the ground hurriedly, lowering their heads and shivering from head to toe – none of them dared to make eye contact with the Palace Lord.

Gritting his teeth, Peng Fei bolstered his courage and said, “Palace Lord, what happened was...”

Peng Fei recounted everything that had happened in Dongling Valley.

In reality, none of them saw how Yu Fei died.

That was also the most confusing part of the entire situation!

If Yu Fei did not die, the young master would not have died as well with the protection of a Golden Core spirit demon.